An email sent by a Walled Lake Consolidated School
District administrator to parents claimed that a series of bills pending in
Lansing designed to allow parents more public education options “will further erode the funding for public
schools in Michigan.” Except, the bills have nothing to do with funding of
schools, says Michael Van Beek, education policy director for the Mackinac Center
for Public Policy.

The email was sent by Judy Evola, the director of
community relations for the school district. Evola didn’t respond to an email
seeking comment.

The bills referred to in Evola's email were Senate Bills 618, 619, 620, 621 and 624. Among other reform measures, they would
lift the cap on the number of charter schools and cyber schools.

Charter schools and cyber schools are public
schools, Van Beek said. The money would just follow the students from one public school
to another.

“This is an inaccurate representation, because these
bills have virtually no impact on overall public school funding,” Van Beek said
in an email. “The bills’ primary
purpose is to empower parents with more public school options and remove
regulations on districts that make it difficult for them to innovate. It’s true
districts that refuse to innovate and compete with these new public school
options could face significant challenges, especially if parents in their
districts start to opt for better options elsewhere. This district appears to
be trying to protect its turf by ginning up opposition based on a false
representation of this legislation.”